Woman contests will after her husband died during divorce proceedings

A woman is seeking to challenge her late husband’s will after claiming that she should be awarded half of his £12million fortune.

Mari Vindis, the widow of the multi-millionaire businessman Nigel Vindis, had filed for divorce a couple of months prior to her husband’s death.

She has made the case that had a settlement been reached, she would have received in the region of £6million.

As it was, proceedings were never completed and the 59-year-old was only entitled to the £36,000 that had been specified in her husband’s will.

Mrs Vindis has now gone to the High Court in an effort to have the terms of the will changed to make “reasonable provision” for her.

She has argued that her marriage to Mr Vindis, who ran a successful chain of car dealerships, had been an equal partnership. After several decades together, the couple’s relationship broke down in 2011 and she filed for divorce two years later.

It is understood that Mrs Vindis is facing a “hostile” claim by her late husband’s two sisters, who have alleged they were wrongly excluded from the family business.

There are lingering concerns that the various claims could mean that there is insufficient money left to support Mr Vindis’ two children, who had been the main beneficiaries of the original will.

Mrs Justice Aplin has adjourned the case for further evidence to be collated and it is expected to resume later this year.